


Superman

by ApomaroMellow



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Clubbing, Established Relationship, Horseback Riding, M/M, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2020-09-02 10:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20274421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApomaroMellow/pseuds/ApomaroMellow
Summary: Five oneshots. Five dates. All Taibani





	1. Road Trip

"You ready for this Bunny?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Kotetsu was loading everything into the trunk just as Barnaby came out. His regular leather jacket switched out for a hoodie that was somehow just as fashionable. He brought his bag over to the trunk and Kotetsu made a big show of lugging it one-handed.

"My big, strong man", Barnaby said sarcastically, rolling his eyes for greater effect.

They got in the car, Kotetsu starting them on their drive. They had about two thousand miles to go to get to Antonio's wedding in Las Vegas. And they'd be picking Kaede up halfway from summer camp.

"Driver picks music", Kotetsu said before turning the station to some old rock tunes. He started belting out lyrics and doing air guitar, putting an arm around Barnaby to get him involved.

"I don't know any of these songs, old man."

"I'm not old. You just don't know good music."

They continued on their way, stopping at a diner for some lunch. Kotetsu appeared appalled at Barnaby's menu choice.

"A BLT? Really? Everyone knows when you stop at a diner, you always get breakfast food."

"First of all, it's one in the afternoon", Barnaby started. "Second, not every diner serves breakfast all day."

"This one does. Which means one MUST choose pancakes. And bacon and eggs."

"Forgive me if I don't take dining advice from the man who-"

"If you accuse me of only cooking fried rice, it's over."

"The man who can only cook fried rice", Barnaby finished with a smirk.

"I want a divorce."

* * *

Barnaby was driving now, playing some soft music as the sun began to set. The only other sound was Kotetsu's light snoring from the backseat. Barnaby would look at him through the rear view mirror occasionally. Kotetsu was stretched as best he could in the small space while still keeping on his seat belt. And sometimes he would make a weird grunting noise or murmur something nonsensical.

It was those moments that Barnaby was reminded that he really did love him.

Whenever night would fall, they'd make the decision to either drive through it, or stay in somewhere to get some rest. One evening, however, as they drove through the desert, Kotetsu took the truck just off the road.

"Why are we stopping?", Barnaby asked.

"How often do you get to see the night sky without any light pollution?"

Kotetsu got a blanket out and the two of them lied under it, on top of the hood, backs against the windshield. Barnaby had to admit that this was worth it. It was so easy to forget a whole cosmos sat right above them when they were blinded by the city lights. Barnaby grabbed Kotetsu's hand and intertwined their fingers. When Kotetsu suggested driving all the way from Sternbild to Las Vegas, Barnaby thought he was crazy.

Flying would have been less of a hassle and quicker. But this...a moment like this with a man like this... Barnaby turned his attention away from the starry sky to look at Kotetsu. He scooted a bit closer and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you for this."

It was irreplaceable.


	2. Clubbing

Kotetsu didn't usually put too much thought into his age.

Actually, that was a lie. He used the 'I'm an old man' as an excuse whenever he could. He only balked at the title when someone else threw it in his face. He was only in his thirties, dammit!

But it was times like these that had it really sinking in just how old he was.

Barnaby had been invited out by some friends. The fact that he had any besides himself was news to Kotetsu, but that was beside the point. Barnaby had been ready to decline because of the venue. They had wanted to go clubbing. Barnaby wasn't a social kind of guy, even on the best of occasions. The one time he could be found in a club was when he was doing an ad for some liquor.

But the loud music, crowds, and people touching him just made him adverse to the whole experience. Barnaby honestly hadn't wanted to go. But...

"You should go", Kotetsu had insisted. "Loosen up, maybe go a little crazy for once. You're not young forever."

"You're proof of that", Barnaby said with a roll of his eyes. He did think it over for a minute though. "I'll go if you come with me."

"What?!"

* * *

And that was how Kotetsu found himself in a club, music blasting and young bodies moving around to the beat. If anyone asked, he would say that Barnaby used his big, cute bunny eyes on him. No one would believe it, but at least it sounded better considering how easily he caved to the other's whims.

Kotetsu had been sitting halfway on a stool. Barnaby had introduced him to his friends, all good-looking twenty-somethings who were nice enough. They had immediately dragged Barnaby to the dance floor. Kotetsu was used to getting something in his system before groovin' so he went straight to the bar to order himself a drink and Barnaby as well.

He sipped thoughtfully while watching the dance floor, catching glimpses of Barnaby here and there through the crowd. This was quite the departure from their late night slow dances to the radio. Just thinking about that had Kotetsu realizing how old he really was.

A couple songs later, Barnaby found him at the bar and took the drink that was ordered on his behalf without a second thought.

"You looked pretty good out there", Kotetsu said. The parts he could see anyway.

"Come dance with me", Barnaby said. Well more like demanded.

Kotetsu shook his head and waved his hand. He didn't know how to dance to this kind of music. He'd just be flopping around on the floor. But Barnaby ignored his protests and took that waving hand and pulled him through the crowd of people. Kotetsu had been right in his judgement. He didn't know what to do with his arms and legs and just tried moving them in time with the music to keep from looking like a total fool.

He found more satisfaction in watching Barnaby move anyway. Everything seemed to come easy to him and dancing was no exception. Their eyes caught and Barnaby wrapped his arms around Kotetsu's neck. Kotetsu, going by muscle memory, put his arms around Barnaby's waist. Their dancing turned into something that didn't really fit the fast paced rhythm.

But neither of them cared.


	3. Walk in the Park

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> barnaby is me, i am barnaby

Sometimes, you just had to savor your life. Go out and smell the roses. Or, whatever that yellow flower was. Kotetsu should really try to learn more flower names. It could be useful, probably. It was these sort of meandering thoughts that went through his mind as he strolled through the park, hand in hand with Barnaby. Together they went in a comfortable silence.

Kotetsu liked times like these, when he didn't really have to think. All he had to do was soak up the sun, enjoy Banarby's warmth next to him, and take in the scent of nature's oasis inside their concrete jungle. He looked over at Barnaby and it wasn't hard to know what he was thinking with that focused expression. But for our sake's, let's take a peek.

First he was thinking about the size of the park and how long it would take to walk around it. If they should go somewhere for lunch or just get something from one of the food carts that could be found all around. What would they do after lunch, though? They had the day off, was Kotetsu planning on spending the entire time together?

Barnaby didn't mind that idea. But he did have some work to do. It wasn't urgent, but why put off for tomorrow what you could do today? If Kotetsu did want to spend more time together, he would have to put off the work. Once again, Barnaby didn't mind if the alternative was spending time with his boyfriend. He just wanted to have a plan in motion.

If they did part after lunch, would Kotetsu want to meet up for dinner? Or would that be the end of it?

All of his thoughts came to a crashing halt thanks to some soft lips and a scruffy beard brushing against his cheek. It was like a soothing balm on his soul.

"Hey, that food cart is selling kabobs. Want some of that?", Kotetsu asked.

Barnaby smiled and nodded. "Yeah. What do you want to do after lunch?"

Kotetsu scratched his chin with his free hand as he thought about it. Barnaby loved that about him, that he could clearly see the thoughts on his face. He already had enough mysteries in his life, Kotetsu didn't need to be one of them.


	4. Canoeing

Barnaby wanted to enjoy the scenery. He really did. Ever since dating Kotetsu, scratch that, every since meeting him, Barnaby had tried to be the kind of person who could enjoy the little things in life. And sometimes be able to go with the flow. But this wasn't a 'flow'. It was a river that he had to follow the current of. Literally. He was standing just a few feet from a river.

A river that Kotetsu wanted them to canoe on.

Well, okay, truthfully, he couldn't blame this one on Kotetsu. All the man did was agree to a job. And it meant being on camera. And Kotetsu didn't really care for the publicity side of being a hero. So for him to agree to a job that meant being recorded, it was big for him. Barnaby had wanted to praise him. He had praised him until he had heard what the program was.

He and Kotetsu would be competing with other couple teams to race down the river in a canoe. Barnaby had no doubts that in the right setting, he and Kotetsu could be a formidable pair. That did not extend to things like this. Things like having to figure out a rowing system right on the spot, lest the risk tipping over or running into rocks wasn't a good situation for them.

"You still love me, right?", Kotetsu asked with a tight smile as they stood side by side, oars in hand.

Barnaby rolled his eyes. "My love isn't so fragile that I'd stop over something like this."

He stepped into the canoe first and Kotetsu got in behind him. At least the river was calm. And the other contestants seemed rather nice. They had already finished the pre-race interviews and camera leering and it was time to get to the meat of the program. The race began and as Barnaby expected, they hit a snag pretty much immediately.

Instead of going forward, they moved in a weird circle. Barnaby glared back at his boyfriend.

"Follow my lead. We need to be in sync."

He looked around and fortunately, the other competitors were only a little better. Only a couple seemed to have canoed before. They still had a chance. Barnaby didn't care about coming first. He just didn't want to make a fool of them coming in dead last. Kotetsu finally got the hang of what Barnaby meant and slowly, but steadily, they got along.

"Hey, this isn't so hard", Kotetsu said, smiling as he got better and better.

"Don't get cocky", Barnaby warned, not wanting their chances ruined by Kotetsu's hubris.

They did fall out of sync at times. And even twice they bumped into another canoe. But soon enough, the finish line was in sight. The cameras were waiting, as were a few that had placed before them.

"Last spurt!", Kotetsu shouted, picking up his rowing pace.

Barnaby scolded him as he tried to keep up and he did well until it all got to be too much and just after crossing the finish line, their rocking canoe tipped over into the water. When they came up for air, Kotetsu gave Barnaby a nervous smile.

"You still love me, right?"

"Let me think about it."


	5. Horseback Riding

Kotetsu was a big enough man to admit that sometimes Barnaby blew him away. It was either with his heroism, his dedication, his effortless flawlessness, or his handsomeness.

Today it was because of his handsomeness.

Barnaby had invited him out to a ranch to go horseback riding. Even though Kotetsu hadn't always lived in the big city, his hometown wasn't exactly horse-country. It made sense that someone like Barnaby had ridden horses before. He oozed that kind of vibe.

What Kotetsu hadn't been ready for was _just how right_ Barnaby looked while riding a horse.

"Okay, can I be honest with you right now?", Kotetsu asked when Barnaby brought his horse to a stop at the fence he was leaning against.

"I'd hope you'd be honest with me all the time", Barnaby said, dismounting with grace.

"You look like a legit fairy tale prince just then", Kotetsu said.

Barnaby actually looked bashful for once in his life but quickly covered it up. Kotetsu almost wondered if he had been seeing things but he knew he wasn't imagining the blush on his face right now.

"It's not as hard as all that. You'll get the hang of it too."

Kotetsu wasn't so sure of that. He might be able to get the basics down, but he couldn't get the sun to hit his hair just right for the perfect halo, or get his back in the perfect heroic arch, or position his long, shapely legs in the right way on the horse.

"Tetsu? My eyes are up here."

"I wasn't staring at your legs!", Kotetsu said in a quick way that was definitely not incriminating at all.

Barnaby rolled his eyes but smiled. He showed Kotetsu what to do and how to handle the horse. At first, Barnaby led the horse through a slow pace while Kotetsu got used to the motions. The irony of being used to flying through the city in a mechanical suit but being new to something as mundane as riding a horse was not lost on him.

But Kotetsu was a fast learner when it came to things like these, where there wasn't much thinking once you knew what to do. And the main thing was keeping the horse comfortable and communicating with it. Kotetsu got it to a trot around the enclosure and smiled brightly.

Then, as he was prone to doing, Barnaby surprised him again. Kotetsu found himself on the horse, but this time, sitting behind his boyfriend. His arms were wrapped tightly around his waist and his chin rested on his shoulder.

"You gonna take me on a romantic gallivant?"

"Something like that", Barnaby answered. "You may want to brace yourself."

Kotetsu did so just in time for Barnaby to command the horse in a gallop. This was definitely more than a trot. Kotetsu squeezed harder around Barnaby after letting out a yelp. Barnaby even took the horse out of the enclosure and into the fields beyond, picking up speed. It was a rush and yet at the same time a calm as Kotetsu could ground himself in his boyfriend's body pressed against his.

Barnaby stopped and the both of them were panting. He turned slightly to look at Kotetsu behind him. "How was that?"

Kotetsu was only thinking that maybe sometimes they didn't need to attach the sidecar to Barnaby's motorcycle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Racing on the thunder,  
And rising with the heat,  
It's gonna take a Superman to sweep me off my feet  
\- I Need a Hero


End file.
